


Radio

by spinsters_grave



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canada (no not canada), Except for one family, and a cool radio announcer makes an appearance as well, are you ready to meet a description of the families?, doubtable science but fight me, pidge's mom makes an appearance, so does a cool taxi driver, the characters get to talk to earth, this is very sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 12:03:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8488747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinsters_grave/pseuds/spinsters_grave
Summary: What would you say to your family if you found Earth radio billions and billions of miles away?





	

“Katie, if you can hear me, please. Let us know you’re safe.” Victoire takes in a deep, shuddering breath, not bothering to hide it from the microphone. “Please. It’s been so hard without you, or Matt, or your father… I am reminded of the Katie-shaped hole in my heart every time I take a breath. I love you, and I miss you, and I need you to come back in one piece. I hope, I beg to the God that may or may not be out there every day that I get you back soon, and safely. I hope you can hear this, wherever you are.”

The radio announcer waits to see if she’s done. “Merci, Madame Holt. Katie, please know that we haven’t given up the search for you. Don’t give up, don’t lose hope. No matter what.

 

“Back to Lance McClain and Hunk Garrett- if you’re listening, your families love you and miss you. They couldn’t make it today, but they send their thoughts, prayers, and hopes for a speedy reunion.

 

“Alright, onto this week’s top ten, we’re at number seven- an old hit is making a comeback! It’s not often you see an old song get a rise in popularity these days. Here’s “Mercy” by Shawn Mendez.”

 

***

 

Victoire steps outside of the radio hall and takes a deep breath. It’s her fourth or fifth this very minute, and she wonders if the passerby know she’s holding in tears.

 

She hails a taxi and absent-mindedly gives him the address of her hotel.

 

The driver grunts. “Eh, you sound familiar or some such. You on the radio? Some kind of announcer?”

 

Victoire barely spares him a glance. “No. It’s a common mistake,” she says with a faint accent which could be mistaken as a rasp. Maybe it’s a new development.

 

The driver looks into his rearview mirror at her with concern. “Eh, you need a tissue or some such?”

 

Victoire sniffs. “I’m alright, thank you.”

 

The driver shrugs and switches on the radio, full blast. “Alright, radio lady,” he mutters in a voice he probably thinks she can’t hear.

 

***

 

“Lance! Hunk! Y’all! Get your asses in here!” Pidge screams into the comms. “I’m in the third living room! Hurry!”

 

“Listen,” she says when everyone has gathered.

 

They do.

 

Lance gasps. “It can’t be…”

 

Hunk starts to smile.

 

(Keith, Shiro, Coran, and Allura all look at each other with confusion written on their faces.)

 

Lance squeals and hugs Pidge with excitement. “It is! How’d you do it, you goblin genius- Jamie-&-Elliott’s Disco Girl! Oh my lord, I thought I’d never hear this again…”

 

Hunk and Pidge start singing along, and after a second to enjoy the sound of Earth Music again, Lance joins in.

 

(They don’t sound half bad, really.)

 

The song ends, and the trio settles in to listen to Earth Radio as long as the signal will hold. Allura and Coran leave, seeing as they have ‘important Saving the Universe business’ to see to. Keith and Shiro linger by the doorway, not willing to leave quite yet but both feeling like they should leave the three alone.

 

The radio announcer comes on. “That was Jamie-&-Elliott’s Disco Girl, everybody, number eight of the top ten! Stay tuned for more beats from 102.3 BigFM, Quebec’s biggest radio station!”

 

Pidge gasps. “Quebec,” she whispers, like saying a long-lost friend’s name.

 

“We’re going to pause the tunes to talk about the current longest-running news topic this side of the galaxy- the Missing Garrison Trio!”

 

Keith and Shiro are called back to the radio, quickly but not fast enough to catch the beginning of the next sentence.

 

“... Garrison has a history of missing persons, when they funded the ill-fated Kerberos mission which disappeared in deep space. The three-person crew is currently presumed dead.

 

“This new group of students have been missing for over four months now. After witnessing some mysterious activity out in the desert close to the Garrison’s main building, the trio went to investigate a reported meteorite crash and have not been seen since. 

 

“Their names are Lance McClain-Sanchez, Haulani ‘Hunk’ Garrett, and Katie Holt, who was known as Pidge Gunderson during her time at the Garrison.

 

Everyone looks at Pidge. She shrugs.

 

“We have Mrs. Victorie Holt here with us at the station today with a message for Katie. If you’re out there, Katie- Pidge- please listen.”

 

The universe shrinks down to only Pidge and her radio, and the image of Victoire Holt. Pidge can almost see her mother, standing behind the radio and steeling herself to speak.

 

Victoire’s voice comes over the signal loud and clear. “Katie, if you can hear me, please. Let us know you’re safe.” Static clicks for a moment, or it might be the sound of Victoire breathing, billions and billions of miles away. “Please. It’s been so hard without you, or Matt, or your father… I am reminded of the Katie-shaped hole in my heart every time I take a breath. I love you, and I miss you, and I need you to come back in one piece. I hope, I beg to the God that may or may not be out there every day that I get you back soon, and safely. I hope you can hear this, wherever you are.”

 

Pidge doesn’t realize she’s crying until she tastes the salt on her lips.

The radio announcer comes back on. “Merci, Madame Holt. Katie, please know that we haven’t given up the search for you. Don’t give up, don’t lose hope. No matter what.

 

“Back to Lance McClain and Hunk Garrett- if you’re listening, your families love you and miss you. They couldn’t make it today, but they send their thoughts, prayers, and hopes for a speedy reunion.

 

“Alright, onto this week’s top ten, we’re at number seven- an old hit is making a comeback! It’s not often you see an old song get a rise in popularity these days. Here’s “Mercy” by Shawn Mendez.”

 

Humming came over the radio, but no one heard it. Pidge, Hunk, and Lance are all silently crying, and Keith and Shiro are trying to comfort them- but they can’t say the right things, and they’re not the right people, so they just bring blankets and Coran is told to bring hot cocoa and he does.

 

“Everyone misses us,” Lance whispers once they sit in a circle, wrapped in blankets, the faint sound of guitars and synth bass still somehow coming over the radio.

 

“I wish we could tell them that we miss them,” Pidge says.

 

“What if we could?” Hunk asks.

 

Everyone stares at him.

 

“What are you getting at,” Pidge asks suspiciously, “when you say we could?”

 

Hunk shifts. “I’ve been making some modifications to the castle’s satellite system,” he admits, “and I think with Pidge’s hacking skills, I can make a signal strong enough to send to Earth. Specifically to Quebec. More specifically to 102.3 BigFM, Quebec’s biggest radio.”

 

***

 

Victoire winces at the crackle of static coming from the taxi driver’s radio.

 

They’re stuck in traffic and can’t seem to find a good signal. The driver refuses to turn it off, though. “Eh, it’ll come back on soon,” he reassures her. “It gets like this sometimes. Bad reception.”

 

Victoire rolls her eyes and wishes that they could get to their hotel sooner.

 

***

 

“Well, we’re definitely getting through,” Pidge says. “I’m on the waves. I just can’t project our voices yet.”

 

“I got you,” Hunk says. 

 

There’s a microphone when Hunk runs to his room and back, and finally, they can broadcast.

 

***

 

The announcer is panicked. “Listeners, we’re sorry to say that we have to take a quick break from our broadcast- Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

 

He pushes his headphones down around his neck and leans back in his chair. “Yo, any way we can get back up again anytime soon?” he yells into the hallway.

 

“Nah,” a voice yells back. “We’re just going to have to wait it out. We could shut it down, of course-”

 

The announcer sighs. “Yeah, do that, then. Just kill the broadcast, we can start again in ten minutes or something-”

 

A voice crackles through the static. “-Lo? Hello? Is this thing working, do you know?”

 

The announcer pauses. “Wait, don’t shut it off yet- someone’s broadcasting on our station.”

 

He hears a sigh from the hallway. “Alright, but it’s your funeral when it turns out to be some anti-government asshole on the run from the law.”

 

***

 

“-Lo? Hello? Is this thing working, do you think?”

 

Victorie gasps- it’s Katie, she thinks, I could recognize that voice anywhere.

 

Another voice comes over, fainter, like it’s from farther away. “Yes, Pidge, the mic is working. You can hear yourself over the thing, right?”

 

Katie laughs. “Yeah, this is actually pretty cool. Hello, earthlings, we come in peace,” she croons into the microphone like she’s pretending to be an alien.

 

Victoire raps on the dividing glass between her and the driver. “Turn up the radio, please,” she says.

 

The driver shrugs and turns up the volume.

 

“Say your thing, Pidge, and then let me have a turn,” a new voice says. Victoire doesn’t like it- he’s too bratty. 

 

“Fine, Lance. So. Hello, Quebec- this is Katie Holt, otherwise known as Pidge Gunderson. Yes, it’s really me- if you find my mom, and show this to her, she’ll probably say that this is me. Katie. 

 

“Hi, Mom. 

 

“We’re in space. I know, I can hardly believe it myself. I’m with Lance McClain and Hunk Garrett, too. 

 

“We… we have an important mission right now that’s going to take me away from you for some time, but don’t worry, Mom. I’ll come back. I promise you I’ll find a way back home. And when I do, I’ll bring Dad and Matt with me- I can find them, and I’ll bring them home. 

 

“I promise.

 

“I don’t think I can say it any better than you did- there’s a Mom-shaped hole in my heart that I feel every time I breathe. I love you, and I miss you, and I hope for a safe reunion. And if there’s a God out there or not, I know that They’ll bring me back to you- our family will be reunited again. I promise you that our family will be together again.

 

“I miss you, and I hope for a safe reunion.

 

The annoying voice comes back on. “Alright, that was Pidge Holt, everyone- also known as Katie, apparently, to her family. I’m Lance McClain, billions and billions of miles away in the- uh- Shiro, what constellation do you think we’re in?”

 

A dry voice comes over the radio, farther away from the microphone. “We’re too far away for them to pretend to see us, Lance.”

 

Lance scoffs, and it might be Victoire’s imagination, but the sound comes in clearer than before. Lance continues to say, “No one asked for your opinion, mullet man. And jeez, can you at least pretend to care about Earth and the people on it? Anyways, I wanted to give a message to my family.

 

“Mami, Papi, it’s like the Holts said- there’s a you-shaped hole in my heart that I can feel pushing against my lungs every time I breathe. There’s a family-shaped hole in my heart- and there are so many of you, I feel like there’s no more room in my heart for anything but the action of missing you. It’s like the beat of my heart has been replaced by the thought of you, the act of loving you- all of you. 

 

“I know that God is out here, even billions and billions of miles away from Earth in this cold and empty vacuum. I know He’s watching out for me, and I know that He’s helping me with missing you. I hope He’s helping you with missing me.

 

“Okay, enough sappy stuff. Aaron, if you’ve taken any of my figurines while I’ve been gone, I know and I when I come home I will not be nice about it. Maddie, there’s a cool rock that I found out here that you’ll love. Rafe, you can have some of my comic books. I’ve found cooler plots in space anyways.”

 

***

 

Billions and billions of miles away, Aaron Gonzalez gets his figurines together, throws in some of his own for good measure, and prepares to bike over to Tia Gina’s house. Again.

 

Billions and billions of miles away, Maddie MacMillan-Gonzalez cries into her hands, wishing she had the guts to tell her mom what was on the radio that was playing on the other side of the continent.

 

Billions and billions of miles away, Rafe Sanchez clears a space in his bookshelf for the comic books he would soon obtain and wonders about what cool stories his cousin would bring back with him.

 

***

 

“I’m going to hand the microphone over to Hunk, Lance says into the microphone. It wasn’t obvious in his voice, but Lance is crying- big, fat tears rolling down his cheeks and staining his eyes red.

 

He’s not sure if the sniff he sniffs can be heard billions and billions of miles away.

 

Hunk smiles into the microphone. “Hey, moms,” he says softly. “Hey, you little punk. Yeah, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you- I know you think I have. I know you. I love you, still, even though I’m billions and billions of miles away.

 

“Punk, I have a message for you to give to big Sis- tell her that I’m sorry that Lance and I haven’t been able to see her for a while. She’s in her final year of college, she’s going to need a lot of support. But I'm in space, and I can’t talk to her, so you’re going to have to give twice the love, okay?

 

“Listen, Punk, I love you too. I miss your hugs and your amazing drawings and the stories you tell me. Don’t forget- don’t forget that I’ll come home soon, okay, and I’ll be able to do what we do together again.

 

“Moms. Lance and Pidge and Pidge’s mom may have coined the best phrase in the universe- there’s a you-shaped hole in my heart that I feel every time I take a breath. I can feel it when I eat, when I sleep, and when I fight- um, you know. I try to take comfort in it. I think to myself, when I’m thinking of my moms and my sisters, then they must be thinking of me, sending me their love and thoughts. Yes, telepathy works over billions and billions of miles, at least for me- I can feel when you love me, and I feel it constantly.

 

“Whether or not God is real and can help me, I love you. And I know that you know it- or you know it now, which is just as good.

 

“I promise I’ll come back. I promise. I swear upon the endlessness of the universe- I. Will. Come. Back.”

 

Hunk takes in a deep breath full of holes and emotions. “I’m going to give the microphone to the missing Kerberos pilot. Ladies and gentlemen, please- give it up for Takashi Shirogane, long-missing and presumed-dead pilot of the Kerberos mission!”

 

There’s a small but loud round of applause around the small circle of five people adrift in space. Everyone wonders what that sounds like to the people on Earth, what sort of battle cry it would send up to inspire and give hope to people who didn’t quite know how big the universe is.

 

Shiro chuckles into the microphone. “Thanks, guys. Um. I don’t know if you can hear me, Mother, Grandmother, and Grandfather- but it’s me. Takashi. 

 

“It sounds a little weird out here, because Pidge- or Katie? Sorry, she’s just informed me it’s Pidge- Pidge has the radio playing along so we can hear ourselves, and it’s giving us a sort of echo effect. It’s cool.

 

“You want sappy words from me, I’m sure. I know I have them. I know I should give them. 

 

“I’ve been missing for a year and, apparently, four months. That’s a lot of time to be gone. I’ve discovered things about myself, some good and some bad. I don’t think you’d recognize me if I came back- but then again, some kids who I barely knew from the Garrison recognized me back when I crashed on Earth. So who knows, you might see me and think that I’m your son or grandson- who knows?

 

“I can’t not say the best phrase ever said. There’s a Mom-sized hole in my heart, and I can feel it every time I breathe. I felt it when I fought for the Galra, I felt it when I escaped, and I feel it now- I’ve felt it for a long time, Mom. A year and four months. Four hundred and eighty-five days to think about what you mean to me. 

 

“Mom, you mean the world to me. You mean the clear blue sky, the bottomless waves, and the comfort of my own house and room. I haven’t slept in my bedroom for two years, Mom. I’m looking forward to seeing it again.

 

“It’s been a long time to have hope that we’ll see each other again. But I do. I hope. I hope for a joyful reunion, with only tears of joy. I’m holding out for you, Mom.

 

“I love you. I miss you.”

 

Shiro sighs. It’s long, and drawn out, and if he cries a little no one says anything. “Okay. I’m okay. I-”

 

Keith backs away from the offered mic. “Oh, Shiro, no. I can’t,” he whispers, trying not to be heard by billions of people billions and billions of miles away.

 

Shiro gives him a puzzled look.

 

Keith feels ashamed. “I… I don’t have anyone to say anything to,” he mutters, hoping that no one heard that billions and billions of miles away.

 

Suddenly, the microphone sputters, and the radio is filled with static. Pidge yells, trying to reconnect, but it’s no use- the signal is lost, maybe for forever.

 

“No,” she whispers. “No, I- there was so much more to say, and Keith didn’t- Keith didn’t get a turn at all, oh God- oh no-”

 

Shiro puts his hand on her shoulder. “Pidge, it’s okay- calm down. They heard from us. Honestly, we had so much time to say what we needed to- they could have heard nothing but ‘it’s okay, we’re alive, and we’re trying to get back to you’ and they would still love you and you would still love them.”

 

Pidge gasps for breath, not even realizing she’s crying. “You- you’re right, Shiro, I know you’re right. I just can’t help but be irrational about this.” She turns to look Shiro in the eye. “Shiro, I’m too young to be fighting this war- I’m only fifteen, for God’s sake. I have to be irrational about this, or…” She trails off and stares at the screen of her computer for a minute, then slowly leans forward until her head is resting on the tip of the screen.

 

“And Keith didn’t even get to go,” she muttered.

 

Keith shakes his hands. “It’s okay, Pidge, I didn’t need a turn- um. There was nothing for me to say to anyone.”

 

Lance snarls from where he and Hunk have been curled up together, soaking each other in and thinking about home. “Bullshit, Keith,” he says. “There’s got to be something.”

 

Keith’s gaze is fiery enough for Lance to back off. “Drop. It,” he whispers.

 

Lance does.

 

Hunk doesn’t. “You know, Keith, it’s really not a bad thing to miss someone. There’s got to be one person that you miss from Earth.”

 

Keith refuses to meet anyone’s gaze. “The only person I miss is dead,” he mutters. “He died when I was four, and the only thing I want to say to him is ‘thanks, asshole, I’ve been in the system for fourteen years because you didn’t give some junkie twenty dollars fast enough’.”

 

Hunk makes an ‘oh’ with his mouth, but no sound comes out.

 

“So no, I don’t really miss anyone,” Keith says. “I mean, did you even wonder why I wasn’t reported missing at all?”

 

He gathers his blanket and leaves the third living room, leaving Shiro to convince Pidge to not crack open her skull on the edge of her computer and Lance and Hunk to find solace in each other’s arms.

 

***

 

Victoire might be crying.

 

The driver insists on giving her a tissue or ten. “Eh, you need it more than I do, lady. That radio transmission was pretty emotional, and all.”

 

Victoire nods and blows her nose.

 

The driver looks out the window awkwardly. “Will you look at that. We've arrived, lady,” he calls over his shoulder.

 

Victoire sniffs. “Can I- can I stay in here a bit? I’ll pay you extra,” she adds. She doesn’t want the other people in the lobby to see that she’s been crying.

 

The driver nods. “Sure, lady. You can stay as long as you need, no extra cash necessary.”

 

***

 

The radio announcer has his head in his hands. 

 

“Listeners,” he says, “we’re not sure what just happened or how it happened. But it seems like we have control over the airwaves again, even if it’s just temporary. 

 

“We’re not sure if we should be honored or terrified to be chosen to broadcast this specific message to Lance, Hunk, Ka- Pidge, and Shiro’s families. We hope that they’ve received the message that they needed to hear.”

 

The announcer sighes, long and deep. “I’m sorry, listeners. This particular protocol isn’t really in the pamphlet they give you at the start of the job.

 

“I suppose this is a good time to tell my mom that I love her.”

 

The announcer looks up into the hallway to see his manager make a motion with his hands.

 

“Well, listeners, looks like we’re going to put on some tunes right now, picking up where we left off, which isn’t very fair to our no-longer-missing Garrison cases, but I don’t really run the show anymore.

 

“Up next is number six on the top ten of Quebec, Miz O’Learie’s Don’t Be Afraid.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic! It's probably really bad lmao
> 
> Please help the author and tell them what you think
> 
> (kudos if you can spot the obvious self-insert)  
> (also Hunk has two moms fight me)


End file.
